


1.01: Settling In

by JustLikeTheSong



Series: NYC Spin-Off 'Verse [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: Friendship, Gen, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-18
Updated: 2013-01-19
Packaged: 2017-11-25 23:42:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,412
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/644199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustLikeTheSong/pseuds/JustLikeTheSong
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>(1) Blaine and Rachel adjust to NYADA, including a terrifying new teacher, Cassandra July.  </p><p>(2) Rachel, Kurt, and Blaine clean up their new apartment in Bushwick.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. NYADA Sea Legs

**Author's Note:**

> This verse is an alternative to Glee season 4. It follows Santana (enrolled at NYU), Kurt (working at Vogue; he never applied to NYADA), Blaine, and Rachel (both enrolled at NYADA) starting their lives in NYC and living together in Bushwick, with appearances by other Glee characters as well as some supporting OCs.

“Five! Six! Seven! Eight!” [Cassandra July](http://static.tvguide.com/MediaBin/Content/120903/News/6_sat/thumbs/120908glee-kate-hudson1_210x305.jpg) barked, tapping a riding crop -  _a riding crop_  - against her thigh in time with her counts.  The piano music started and [Blaine](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcrtq51Wci1r4o05zo2_400.gif) began to execute the simple choreography he and his classmates were tasked with.  He gritted his teeth as his professor began a tirade about how they were all pathetic and needed to start starving themselves and taking Prozac and who knew what else if they ever wanted to make it in the business.

“Eyebrows!” She shouted, and Blaine fought with himself to keep from faltering, grinning internally as he kept up the routine without a mistake, though he kept his actual facial expression neutral as he turned to look at Ms. July.  ”Has anyone ever told you that your turn out is horrendous?  That better be fixed next time I see your sorry ass!”

She moved on to sneering at someone else at Blaine was just glad that was the end of it.  He tuned her out, focusing on the next combination, which was trickier.

“Excuse me?  Do you have a problem?” Cassandra’s voice was deadly quiet and the piano music stopped.

“I just think that insulting your students isn’t a very effective teaching strategy.”  Blaine groaned at the sound of [Rachel’s](http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120914084623/glee/images/thumb/2/26/Glee-The-New-Rachel.jpg/318px-Glee-The-New-Rachel.jpg) nervous but articulate voice.

“What’s your name?”

Blaine pinched the bridge of his nose and turned around to watch the impending disaster.

“M-my name is Rachel Berry.”

“No, it’s not.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your name is Schwimmer,” Cassandra said softly, tapping Rachel’s nose.  Blaine started to step forward as Rachel lowered her eyes and her cheeks began to flush, but Cassandra spoke again.  ”Listen up, children!  Schwimmer here thinks that I don’t know how to teach my own class.  She thinks I have nothing to teach any of you, even though her piques are pathetic and her snotty little attitude is disrupting my whole class.”

“I didn’t say-“

“I may not be a sweet, young ingénue ” Cassandra snarled in Rachel’s face, “but I can still dance circles around all of you!” She shouted to the rest of the class.  She nodded to the pianist, who went to the stereo and selected a song.  Cassandra started to sing the introduction of the song, “[ _I met a girl in east L.A..._](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKae2heGmIo)”

She swaggered around the room until the introduction reached its peak, and then flew into motion with the beat of the music, a few students eventually joining her in the aggressive, high energy dance number.  Blaine watched as Rachel looked on, looking very intimidated and out of her element.

***

After they had showered and changed into their street clothes, [Blaine](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ma5megaQWs1r1i5owo1_400.gif) and [Rachel ](http://wornontv.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/rachels-brown-stripe-tights-yellow-beanie-red-skirt.jpg)walked to a cafe just off campus for lunch.  [Kurt](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mad5g3B4Li1r7bgvyo1_400.gif) was waiting for them there, and kissed Blaine quickly before handing them the drinks he’d already purchased at the counter.

It was only once they’d ordered their food and were sitting at a table waiting for it that Rachel ranted in Kurt’s general direction about what had happened during their dance class.

“It was so humiliating, Kurt!  She performed that number just to put me in my place in front of everyone!  And of course no one said anything, even though I was defending them…”

“I understand the impulse to stand up to a bully, believe me,” Kurt told her, taking a sip of his nonfat mocha, “but come on, Rachel, this is Crazy Cassie July we’re talking about.  Notorious for completely losing it when an audience member’s phone interrupted her performance during her Broadway debut.”

Blaine nodded with a wry smile.  ”You’re lucky she didn’t start whipping you with her riding crop.”

Rachel’s eyes widened and her mouth dropped open to say something, but she closed it again and frowned.  ”Was she really that amazing today?” She asked Blaine in a small voice.

He shrugged, standing up when the server called their number.  ”She’s good, obviously.  But I think needing our classmates to execute some of the lifts and group work kind of undermined her point about being better than her students.”

“At least Mr. Schue was trying to make us have fun when he danced with us, even if it was borderline inappropriate half the time and almost always mortifying,” he heard Kurt comment as he retrieved their food, placing it all on a tray and bringing it back to the table.

“I just hope that woman isn’t going to be at the freshman introduction Friday night,” Rachel said when Blaine returned, thanking him as he handed her her tofurky wrap, “because I’ll probably freak out during my performance if her beady little eyes are shooting daggers at me, and I cannot afford to choke in front of the legendary Carmen Thibodeaux.”

“Rachel, we’ve only been in New York for a week now, and you just started classes yesterday.   _Please_  tell me you’re not developing a martyr complex already,” Kurt said with a roll of his eyes.

Blaine took Kurt’s hand.  ”She probably just picks someone at random to make an example out of each semester,” he tried to reassure Rachel, “and she seems to be generally nasty to everyone.”

“I’ll just keep my head down for the rest of the semester,” Rachel sighed.  ”I am evolving, maturing…I can endure her petty insults with quiet dignity for a few months if it brings me just one step closer to being a star.  I know I can.”

Kurt and Blaine exchanged a look.  This was, after all, Rachel Berry talking.

***

Cassandra made it a point to criticize Blaine’s turn out every class that week, and she did seem to fixate on Rachel a little more than the rest of their classmates.

“It’s probably because I’m taking two of her dance classes this semester,” Rachel said with a pout Thursday morning while they were warming up, “I should’ve taken script analysis with you, but it sounded so boring.”

“You should have,” Blaine agreed, teasing her, “it’s actually pretty interesting.  And I only have to endure Cassandra July once a day.”

Despite her struggles in Cassandra’s classes, [Rachel](http://www.washingtonpost.com/rf/image_296w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/09/12/Style/Images/GLEE_Ep401-Sc28_194.jpg?uuid=0XpcfP0sEeGK3EmWYa_jdw) seemed to be in a better mood Friday evening as they filed into one of NYADA’s auditoriums and sat down in the audience.  A big smile graced her face and she sat with perfect posture, looking around at everyone.  [Blaine](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly4wqww4na1qlcv71o1_500.jpg) figured it must be because Ms. July didn’t appear to be in the crowd.

“Oh my God, he’s here,” she said suddenly, clutching Blaine’s arm.

“Who?”

She nodded in the direction of a handsome, if a little generic for Blaine’s tastes, [guy](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_magjrj0vvK1qeds6ko1_r1_500.jpg) walking towards them.

“Brody Weston,” she whispered, pretending to look away, “he’s a junior!  I met him in the showers last night after I stayed after class for extra practice.  He was only wearing a towel!”

“Hey Rachel,” the guy said, nodding at Blaine, “are you ready for your first performance at NYADA?”

“Brody,” Rachel said, much more demure than Blaine was used to seeing her, “this is my friend Blaine.”  He didn’t miss her emphasis on the word “friend”.  Maybe she was finally moving on from Finn after two months of radio silence.

Blaine offered his hand and Brody shook it before sitting down on the other side of Rachel.  ”Nice to meet you.”

“Likewise.  Any friend of Rachel’s is a friend of mine.”  He seemed friendly enough, but Blaine’s eyebrows rose anyway at the blush on Rachel’s cheek.

The crowd fell silent when [Carmen](http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121028065651/glee/images/4/48/CarmenTSeason4.png) arrived and stood in front of them.  ”Welcome, freshmen, to the New York Academy of the Dramatic Arts.  As you can see, this Freshman Introduction is open to any NYADA students and faculty that wish to observe, but not the general public, so I hope no one has tried to sneak in any friends.  I know most of you love your adoring audiences, but you’ll have to do without them for one night.”

A few titters went through the crowd as Carmen took her seat in the front row and looked down at her clipboard.  Blaine wished Kurt could be there.  

“Up first, we have Blaine Anderson.”

Rachel squeezed his hand briefly before he made his way to the stage, taking his spot near the band, facing upstage.  He was only a little nervous; he had prepared well in advance and worked hard on this number.  He had even dressed the part, with his own purple bow tie and a plaid suit jacket of Kurt’s paired with his own grey trousers.  He rubbed his hands together and turned around as the first strains of [music](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdIDkQocKsY) filled the air.

“ _Now, there you are, yes, there’s that face…_ ”

He let the music wash over him, but he didn’t get lost in it or forget the room.  No, he fed off the crowd, the nervous energy and excitement spurring him on.

“ _You have the cool, clear, eyes of a seeker of wisdom and truth…_ ”

He grinned around the lyrics, charming the audience just like Finch might as he preened and sang of his own virtues.  This was his time; he had made it out of high school, he was no longer living under his parents’ roof.  He was in New York, living with his boyfriend and the love of his life, and the world was his oyster.  He could feel his heart swelling as he continued to sing.

“ _Oh, I believe in you!  I believe in you!_ ”

It wasn’t of himself he sang of now, but Kurt.  He thought of how they’d restrained themselves in the halls of McKinley last year, the ghosts of their pasts haunting them.  Now they could walk down the street hand-in-hand, and Kurt could come visit him on campus and no one would object if they shared a kiss.

“ _And when my faith in my fellow man all but falls apart, I’ve but to feel your hand grasping mine, and I take heart!_ “ 

When he finished the song, holding the final note until the music ended, he smiled and blew a ostentatious kiss to the audience while everyone clapped.

“That was fine, Mr. Anderson,” Carmen said neutrally, and relief washed over him.  She called Pauline Artner up to the stage and Blaine took his place beside Rachel, buzzing with the high of his performance as Rachel and Brody congratulated him.

The buzz didn’t last long, though, when he saw the smile drop off of Rachel’s face when Carmen cut off Pauline after eight bars, accused her of not practicing over the summer, and asked her to leave.  ”Rachel Berry,” she said, reading off of her clipboard.

“You’ve got this,” Blaine told her, and Brody patted her knee.  She looked terrified as she made her way up onto the stage, but fear melted into a more relaxed, focused look during the instrumental introduction to her [song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CapoebMRTa4).

“ _Some folks like to get away…_ ”

He could see her really sliding into the performance as the saxophone joined the piano.  It was a classic Rachel number: dramatic gestures, singing with her whole body and face, totally earnest and believing every word.

“ _Don’t have any reasons, I’ve left them all behind; I’m in a New York state of mind!_ ”

When she finished and Carmen dismissed her with a “Good”, she came back to her seat and leaned over to hug Blaine.  He could feel her heart beating wildly.

After the rest of the freshman performances were finished and they were mingling around tables of bagels and coffee, they congratulated each other again.

“You would be the perfect Finch,” Rachel told him, straightening his bow tie fondly, “give it a couple years and you’ll be on Broadway wowing everyone.  I could be your Rosemary!”

He chuckled, but it was actually very easy to imagine them starring in ‘How To Succeed’.  ”And you blew everyone away with your number,” he told her, “it’s not every day Carmen Thibodeaux tells someone they were good.”

“You’re right,” she squealed, clasping her hands together in front of her chest and bouncing lightly from foot to foot.  ”I can’t wait to tell Kurt!  And, oh, Blaine, after that, I feel ready to really take on Cassandra July and whatever unwarranted criticism she throws at me!  I’ll show her what Rachel Berry is made of!”

Blaine was happy to see Rachel feeling more optimistic, though he wondered, watching her wave across the room to her new friend, how much of it was due to Brody’s attentions.  And he hoped she knew what she was getting into with their formidable dance teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs:
> 
> Americano/Dance Again (Lady Gaga/Jennifer Lopez) by Cassandra
> 
> I Believe In You (How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) by Blaine
> 
> New York State of Mind (Billy Joel) by Rachel


	2. Everybody's Working For The Weekend

Kurt and Rachel were both early risers, though they spent their mornings in different ways.  While Blaine lay sleeping, ear plugs nestled in his ears, Rachel did thirty minutes on her elliptical, drank her protein shake, and practiced her scales, while Kurt (also with earplugs still in his ears) enjoyed his morning coffee and would normally work on some sketches or flip through the latest issue of Vogue.

On the Saturday morning just a little over a week after they’d all moved to New York, though, [he](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maos6eNcbT1r3bifvo1_r2_500.gif) spent his time making a favorite of Blaine’s for breakfast, whole-wheat pancakes with blueberries, and fruit salad for Rachel.  It was his devious plan to butter them up with food before he put them to work for the day.

So while a beaming [Rachel](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_llpxlyr6xE1qeds6ko1_r2_500.jpg) and still sleepy-eyed [Blaine](http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mdydwizqFF1rw9yeuo2_250.gif) were digging in to the feast with appreciative noises (one groan Blaine let out had Kurt tempted to scrap the day’s plans and just drag him back to bed), he decided to broach the subject.

“You may have noticed that I’m loading you both up with carbs.”  Blaine smiled at him sweetly as he took a sip of his coffee and Rachel looked up, taking a bite of a slice of apple.  “Well, it’s not for nothing.  We’re all going to need our energy making this place livable today.”  Rachel and Blaine looked around the loft.  They had at least unpacked all their things at this point, but the place needed a good cleaning, serious redecoration, and furniture as soon as possible.  “We’ll spend today cleaning and making repairs, and tomorrow we can go shopping for furniture and décor,” Kurt said brightly, pouring syrup over his pancakes.

“Kurt,” Rachel said, her tone already wheedling, “this first week of school has been so stressful and exhausting.  I really need the weekend to relax so my glands don’t get aggravated.  You remember how horrible it was when I lost my voice in sophomore year!  Your internship doesn’t start for another couple weeks, right?  Can’t you just do that stuff until then.”

“No, Rachel, Kurt’s right,” Blaine said, covering up a yawn, “just because we have school already doesn’t mean we don’t have to chip in.  Besides, don’t you want to be a part of it all, really making the place yours?”

“Exactly,” Kurt said, “while I am the resident expert on interior design, I am willing to incorporate your suggestions.  Though I do hold the right to veto any inappropriate suggestions.”  He eyed Rachel.  “So there will be no kitten posters, Miss Berry.”

Rachel waved her hand.  “Kurt, please.  I’m an adult now!  I’m living in New York; it’s time to leave childish things like kitten posters in the past, where those cute little kitties cheered me up after bad days at school.”

Kurt frowned at that; he hadn’t really considered that tacky posters of kittens could actually mean something to Rachel.  “Well, I suppose I could allow a small, tasteful photo of a kitten, kept strictly to your part of the loft,” he said, his tone softer than before.

But Rachel insisted it wouldn’t be necessary, and after they finished their breakfast, the three of them got to work.  They spent the day sweeping and washing the floors, cleaning the windows and applying plaster to a couple holes in the walls, and cleaning the kitchen appliances as well as the bathroom.

It was getting close to dinner time, and Kurt was starting to feel tired.  They’d been working nonstop, and he was picturing an afternoon spent at a farmer’s market with Blaine to power through.  He let out a whimper of pain as he released his grip on the rag he was using on a stubborn stain on the floor and shook out his hand.

“Oh my God, look at my nails,” came Rachel’s mournful voice from inside the bathroom.

“Come on, guys, we said we’d go until six, and it’s five now; we can do it!” Blaine would have sounded upbeat if not for the curse that shortly followed when he dropped some plaster on the floor.

Kurt dropped his rag and stood up.  “I know just what we need for motivation,” he said, flexing his still hurting fingers as he selected a song on his iPod.  He turned around with an impish grin to see Rachel poking her head out of the bathroom curiously and Blaine paused in his work as the [music](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=597PS5iWCCQ) started.

“ _Come my little friends as we all sing a happy little working song_ ,” Kurt sang, skipping to Rachel and pulling her out of the bathroom.  Blaine grinned and put down his trowel, and walked over to them, grabbing both their hands and twirling them.

“ _…and you’ll trill a cheery tune in the tub_ ,” Kurt continued, tapping Rachel’s nose as the three of them made their way over to the kitchen, Kurt and Blaine starting the dishes as Rachel got a stool to wipe out the cupboards.

“ _We’ll keep singing without fail, otherwise we’d spoil it!_ ” Rachel crooned, looking over her shoulder at them with a wink.

“ _How we all enjoy letting loose with a little la-da-da-dum-dum!_ ” Kurt and Blaine sang in harmony, giggling as they flicked water at each other.

They abandoned their efforts as the song continued, dancing around the kitchen like dorks.  Kurt and Blaine swung Rachel up to sit on the counter while the three of them sang the last lines together: “ _…if you cannot sing then hum along, as we’re finishing our happy working song!_ ”

As the last notes faded away, they heard a loud banging at the door.

“Open up, nerds!  Prepare yourselves, because the cool factor in this apartment is about to go way up!”

Still laughing and a little breathless, they all went to the door and pulled it open to reveal [Santana](http://24.media.tumblr.com/46aa115a6a66480a2332b870badd6450/tumblr_meqf78FtZi1qkshc5o1_400.png), suitcase in hand.

“Santana,” Blaine said with a smile, starting forward and then pausing.  Kurt looked at Rachel and Blaine out of the corner of his eye.  Hugs were standard operating procedure between the three of them, but Santana Lopez was an entirely different sort of animal.  She had bragged about sharp objects being hidden on her person more than once, and it wasn’t easy to tell if she was bluffing.

She rolled her eyes.  “You can hug me.  No razor blades; I promise.”

So they pulled her inside and each gave her a hug, Blaine asking how her flight was as he released her from his embrace.  Kurt spoke before Santana could give them the details.

“Santana, it’s of course lovely that you’re here, and I’m sure we’d all love to hear the details of your flight.  But you look like you’ve got an hour’s worth of working energy in you, so why don’t you tell us all about it while you join us in today’s activity: cleaning up our home?”  He held out the sponge he was holding.

There was a long pause as Santana just stared at Kurt.  They had all been curious and nervous as to what living with Santana would be like, with Rachel worried the most.  Santana finally cracked a smile, taking the sponge.

“Alright, Hummel.  But only because I’m already dressed for grunt work, and only if you all promise you won’t sing any more Disney songs today.”

Rachel pouted.  “But I was going to put on 'Whistle While You-“

“Deal,” Blaine said, placing a calming hand on Rachel’s shoulder.

With Santana’s help, things went faster, and they decided they could stop at 5:30.  Blaine and Santana ran out to a little pizzeria nearby that had vegan options and the four of them sat on their floor and had a picnic, their arguments about décor much more heated now that Santana was participating.  As Santana insisted she wanted to be kitty-corner to Rachel in the apartment and they started bickering, Kurt just smiled, lacing his fingers through Blaine’s and resting his head on his shoulder.  This year was going to be an adventure, he could tell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Songs
> 
> Happy Working Song (Enchanted) by Kurt, Rachel, and Blaine

**Author's Note:**

> Song Order: Americano/Dance Again, I Believe In You, New York State of Mind, Happy Working Song


End file.
